How to Query
Seeking Submissions
Cornucopia Press is actively seeking submissions for novels. We are especially interested in historical fiction and narrative biography. We like for intelligent, uplifting stories in rich settings that we can learn from. We are interested in characters that are courageous and ethical. That doesn’t mean no bad guys. It means no “Silence of the Lambs.”
Unpublished authors are encouraged to query if they have a completed work that’s been edited and polished.
What to Submit
Query via email to query at cornucopiapress dot com. Please note that we do not accept email attachments until we’ve requested a manuscript, and we do not encourage queries in the U.S. Mail: Email only, please.
No Attachments
PLEASE DO NOT include any attachments in your query email. Include all of it in the actual email itself. Thanks!
Email Checklist
Please include the word “Query:” and the title of your work in the subject line. In the body of the email, be sure to all of the following:
- Title
- Author’s name, address and phone number
- Word count
- A short description of the work
- A complete synopsis
- Your first chapter, or about 3000-5000 words.
Your Synopsis
The synopsis tells us what happens in the book. It should be somewhere between around 500 and 1000 words, and should tell all. It’s not a teaser or a blurb. Specifically, we want to know who the main characters are, and we definitely want to know how the story ends.
What Not to Send
Please don’t send unsolicited manuscripts. We’ll respond most quickly to a nice, complete query. We won’t read any email attachments sent as part of a query. The only attachment we’ll read is your manuscript, once we’ve asked for it.
Jumping Through Hoops
Don’t stress out. There’s no secret handshake, no magic formula. We just want to see a simple query, so we can see what your story is about, and decide whether we’d like to read it. Your query should be spell-checked and all that, but if you miss a typo, we’re not going to write you off. We’re human too.